Defence Secretary stays silent over ‘delicate’ nuclear talks with Kim
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said the diplomatic push to solve the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis was at such a delicate stage he will not publicly discuss the talks.
Mr Mattis was among advisers at the White House last Thursday when President Donald Trump decided to accept the offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet by May.
The offer was relayed to Mr Trump by a South Korean delegation that briefed the President on their meeting with Mr Kim last week.
“I do not want to talk about Korea at all. It’s that delicate,” Mr Mattis said as he flew to the Middle East.
“When you get in a position like this, the potential for misunderstanding remains very high,” he added, explaining his unwillingness to talk about any aspect of the diplomatic efforts.
The Pentagon chief said the White House and State Department were better suited to discuss the situation in advance of the May meeting.
He declined to discuss the timing and scale of annual Us-south Korean military manoeuvres that were postponed during the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea. The exercises are expected to be held next month, but no official announcement has been made.
Mr Trump has said he believes North Korea will abide by its pledge to suspend missile tests while he prepares for the summit.
He noted in a tweet that North Korea has refrained from tests since November and said Kim “has promised not to do so through our meetings”, adding: “I believe they will honour that commitment.”
Later, at a rally in Pennsylvania where Mr Trump mentioned Mr Kim’s name, the crowd booed but Mr Trump responded: “No, it’s very positive. After the meeting you may do that, but now we have to be very nice because... Let’s see what happens, let’s see what happens.”
Mr Trump shocked many inside and outside his administration when he told South Korean officials who had just returned from talks in North Korea that he would be willing to accept Mr Kim’s invitation.
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted that China was pleased he was pursuing a diplomatic solution rather than “going with the ominous alternative” and that Japan is “very enthusiastic” about the agreed-to talks.